The Winner's Circle
by 2343-5480
Summary: It's the First Class Championship, Jak and Erol's final face off, but halfway through the race it's interrupted. The only way out of this mess alive is if they can settle their differences and co-operate with each other but this is easier said than done.
1. The Big Race

**For those of you who haven't played and finished Jak II and 3 (and the Precursor Lagacy), I recommend you not read this story because, for one, it will contain spoilers, and two, it won't make sense really unless you have. **

The Winner's Circle

Chapter One

The Big Race

Jak mounted his Air Racer and pulled up in line with the other contestants. On his shoulder Daxter gave him a motivating nod. The buzz of idle engines around him and enthusiastic cheers from the crowd helped psyche him up for the big race to come. He watched as other racers taunted each other from their zoomers before suddenly falling silent. The crowd's cheers intensified and it didn't take Jak long to realise why. He turned his head at the sound of an approaching vehicle. A sneer tugged at his lip as the final contestant pulled up next to him. Erol sat up to confront Jak his hands curling into fists as he spoke. "I want more than just to win, eco freak. I want you!" He mounted his air racer and revved the engine in readiness not even passing Jak a second glance.

Above the racers Baron Praxis' round platform hovered as he gave his routinely 'motivating' speech to the competitors. Two Krimzon Guards stood watch beside him ready to silence, with their guns, anyone who caused a disturbance. "Greetings racers," the Baron bellowed and the crowds roared in reply. "Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement. If any of you should by some small chance beat our grand champion, Erol-" Jak glanced at the named in distaste, "then you will be awarded a months supply of eco." He then muttered something else so quickly the racers barely heard him as the prize was set down in front of the crowd stands. "Good luck and die bravely." His platform rose a few feet and he addressed the contestants more directly to begin the race. "Ready?" Erol smirked arrogantly across at Jak. "Get set." He dropped his mask disguising the snide grin and Jak faced forward with a snarl of malice. "Go!"

All feet slammed down on accelerators and the zoomers launched forward into a mass of metal around the first turn. The heat of the vehicles reached an uncomfortable peak only dissipating when they began to spread out as the more skilful drivers pulled ahead of the group, Jak being one of them and Erol not far behind. Erol ghosted him around the first turn and they dragged it out side by side. On the wider fourth corner, however, he wasn't so lenient of Jak's company. The two zoomers collided violently and Jak could imagine the triumphant sneer on Erol's face as Jak slammed into the wall and was forced into a less preferable route through one of the channels in the track. He rose onto the main track once more spotting Erol's back metres ahead of him. He drafted the reigning champion past the perilous hole in the centre of the track and picked up a turbo. As he hit the acceleration Erol's Air Racer drifted ahead of his blocking his way. He swore he heard conceited laughter over the roars of the zoomers. "What's the matter, boy? The heat getting to your head?"

Jak smirked and launched forward with his turbo ramming into the back of Erol's vehicle knocking him off course. He was quick to recover but not before he'd passed the shortcut in the track. Jak glided down it and reconnected with the main track before roaring past the start line in first place. He laughed confidently. "One lap down-"

"-and four to go!" Daxter finished for him. "He's sure keeping quiet now!" Jak steered down the second shortcut and into the third corner once more. Erol wasn't foolish enough the miss it either and had soon regained a lot of the lost ground between them. He wasn't laughing anymore. Both of their vehicles were smoking at this point from each others assaults, but not enough to worry over. Erol rammed into another racer, to snatch their turbo, who veered of course and collided headfirst with the wall exploding on impact. That was enough to lighten Erol's mood a bit as he set on catching up to the people's hero.

They surged through another lap, too far apart to cause any conflicts, but approaching the sharp turn halfway through the lap their zoomers collided once more. Jak knew that if he let Erol gain too much ground it was unlikely he would catch up with him again. Erol used the momentum of the crash to pass the corner easily while Jak struggled for control, his elbow scraping the floor dangerously as he veered his zoomer through the turn. He used his last turbo to gain the speed he'd lost back quickly. His flesh tightened from the heat that radiated from his vehicle.

It took little effort to pass the minor ranks into second place once more, however, first place was a little more difficult to achieve. He knew Erol wasn't the sort to become careless over a false sense of security, but neither was he. Metal collided as he slammed into the back of Erol's zoomer. The man growled in annoyance. "You just don't know when to give up do you? You lost this race before it even started!" He swerved the back of his vehicle into the nose of Jak's in an attempt to throw him.

"Blow it out your cake hole, motor mouth!" Daxter yelled in reply and the two vehicles grappled with each other for control, front to back. Erol steered through a turbo, grabbing it before Jak and zooming ahead once more. Jak was getting increasingly pissed off having to watch his back all the time. He steered closely into the corners, his Air Racer so close to the wall it ignited sparks and manoeuvred smoothly around the sharp turn pulling up beside Erol. They were already on the third lap and neither of them had pulled too far ahead of the other, but Jak had a feeling that he would be the one to leave triumphant. Erol showed his impatience through his actions. No longer ramming into Jak he used a turbo to surge ahead and over the start line into the second to last lap. Jak felt the unpredicted heat from Erol's engine claw at the skin on his face and dropped his goggles to protect his eyes. He then matched Erol with a turbo and pulled up along side him shying down the shortcut following the start line. The two only succeeded in slowing each other down as they skidded back onto the main track and rejoined the throng of racers.

Bumping through the crowd and managing to dodge all of Erol's efforts at nudging him off course Jak drew ahead of the group in first place and sped around the corners easily with free roam on the track. For once his time on top wasn't ephemeral because, although he had pulled up close behind him, Erol hadn't succeeded in outmanoeuvring him on the corners. Nor had he managed to get close enough to thwart Jak's expert driving and this annoyed him greatly. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. He could not lose this! He _would not lose!_

It was the last stretch of the track. The two leading racers eased off the acceleration to round the sharp turn neither of them could afford to make a mistake on. Erol inched closer and closer, slowly closing the gap between him and Jak. The final shortcut was coming up and he knew that if Jak took it, it would all be over. It was too narrow for even someone with Erol's skill to perform a successful overtake in. He had no turbo to use, he couldn't afford to save them when both he and Jak had lead on the track and therefore free choice of them. He knew he was close enough to try something else though.

Jak knew how close he was and felt the adrenaline begin to peak at the prospect of winning. At the thought of rubbing it in Praxis' pompous metal face. He could see the final shortcut in view. Once he'd taken it he knew he'd secured the winning spot if he managed not to make a stupid mistake, which he trusted himself not to. Daxter seemed to feel it too. "We've won, baby. Floor it Jak-"

The zoomer shuddered suddenly. Jak was briefly disorientated not sure if it were him or the ground that was moving until he felt his vehicle swerve away from the gap in the wall. He quickly steered into the turn to gain control but by the time he had he knew he'd missed it. He passed a fleeting glance backwards and sure enough Erol's Air Racer was wrestling with his once more. His vehicle shuddered again, lurching his stomach awkwardly, though this time he knew it wasn't Erol. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the air.

Then everything slowed down around him. Something struck the front of Jak's zoomer. He barely had time to glance aside before more of it was falling. It looked like rubble; chunks of metal and glass. Light poured down above him. A crescent shaped gouge opened violently above his head where the track ceiling had previously been. In the sky overhead was a large cloud of dust rising slowly and towering above him twisting in on itself like some obscene creature.

An explosion to his right jolted his zoomer diagonally into the wall with an ear splitting clash of metal. He turned its nose forward to prevent a head on collision. Then he looked ahead. His brain stumbled in confusion when he didn't see the track. Instead he saw a black void and a wall of purple mist. Black patterns danced around before his eyes. His vehicle raced towards it as time sped up again.

Another racer shot past Jak's head and hit something ahead of him. A burst of orange and yellow flames lit up the void beneath him and he realised it wasn't a void at all. Something had blown a hole in the track! He hadn't time to react. He hadn't time to think through what to do next. He just had to _do. _But one thing was certain, he was going down that hole whether he liked it or not. At its jagged edge his zoomer made it's final jump before dropping, nose first, and plummeting into the black, sightless abyss below.


	2. Cooperation

**Here's chapter two. If you enjoyed reading my story then I'll enjoy reading your reviews.**

The Winner's Circle

Chapter Two

Only Two

He was thrown backward in his seat as the air whistled past his ears ripping the orange ottsel from his shoulder. "Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!" Daxter yelled. He landed heavily at the side of the rugged hole and scrambled to the edge. "Jak!" He stood and gazed down the hole helplessly as the orange flicker of Jak's zoomer faded into the distance. "Jak! I'm coming, buddy!" With little deliberation he stepped back to take a running jump. His plan was quickly interrupted as two more zoomers sped past him. The one to his right spun around in alarm and exploded against the track wall. Following soon after more rubble began to fall. Daxter could only watch as the stone walkway running through the middle of the stadium slid down onto the track blocking the only possibility of him following his best friend likely to his death. Beside him the last few racers came to a shaky stop looking ahead in amazement. Just what the hell had happened?

Jak was plunged into a blind darkness. He leaned into the nose of his zoomer, keeping it vertical. He could hear the larger debris crashing against walls behind him unable to match the speed his streamlined vehicle had gathered. The seat beneath him started to pull away even as he gripped it with all his strength. The odd round panels in the walls glowed with an eerie yellow light that was just enough to illuminate the tunnel around him. He pulled the goggles from his face and gazed around him in disbelief. Metal pipes and bundles of wires protruded from the walls but not in a disorganised way. In fact it looked like it had been purposefully built for some purpose that eluded him. The yellow plates were replaced by small white lights down the pipes the further he fell. As he reached a terminal velocity smaller pieces of rubble began to catch up with him. The white lights guided him past obstacles and he swerved to avoid a large pipe feeling weightless and light headed. However, the feeling didn't last long.

He jerked back into his seat and pulled the front of his zoomer upwards when his vehicle's angle suddenly changed. He'd reached level ground. He veered his vehicle sideways and slammed down the brakes. His sight had abruptly come back to him and he didn't like what he saw. The wall before him came dangerously closer and closer. His zoomer lost power and dropped to the floor sliding heavily into the stone. Jak hit it hard but not hard enough to cause any damage. He sat with his breath held sharply for moments until he was sure the danger had passed. He relaxed enough to release it again. The small dimly lit cavern filled with noise briefly as the last of the larger debris shattered against the floor. Then an eerie silence followed interrupted by a very unexpected voice.

"Damn! I almost had you!" Jak turned quickly at the harsh voice and his eyes fell on the last person he wanted to see. The man, recognised instantly by his inconspicuous clothing and shock of orange hair, aggressively kicked his zoomer into the wall and approached Jak directly, eyes ablaze. Jak quickly dismounted his zoomer and brushed the dust off his skin not taking his eyes off Erol. His brows lowered as he met Erol's fierce stare. "This can only be _your _doing, freak!"

"_I _didn't do anything," Jak growled and stepped up to Erol's challenge. The racer's golden eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Only _you_ would interrupt the race when I was _this _close to beating you!"

"Beating me?" Jak almost laughed. "Weren't you eating my dust?" Jak grinned as Erol's face twisted in anger.

"Listen, freak! No one has _ever _beaten me before. Just because you're ahead in one lap doesn't mean you've won the race," he spat arrogantly.

"You sure talk big for someone who merely carries through the 'big man's' orders." Erol pulled back slightly his gaze darkening. "Besides, I've beaten you before and I can beat you again." The two's eyes remained locked for a moment until Erol began to step around Jak as he spoke.

"Well, as much as I love striking up conversation with you, Jak," his emphasis on the word made Jak flinch. "Unlike you I have more important things to be doing!" Both of them turned away from each other and looked about the small room they had involuntarily ended up together in. The cavern was small, no larger than four by six metres, uneven in shape and lit with a dim yellow light from the same panels that had been in the tunnel above. Thick dust floated around in the air irritating Jak's throat, but with no convection to stir it up it was quickly settling. The walls were hidden behind piles of rubble, except for one that caught both their attention. Only when the two had stopped distracting each other did they truly realise the situation they were in.

They both turned to look up at the large stone door carved into the wall, side by side though stood two metres apart. Running across the top were simplistic enigmatic carvings of pictures and across the door, in the old precursor alphabet, was a message written clearly for the two occupants to read:

_Only two may pass through,_

_If one meets their demise,_

_One alone cannot reach the prize._

"You've got to be kidding me…" Jak said slowly glancing over at Erol who looked back apparently thinking the same thing.

Erol laughed suddenly and turned to face away from Jak. Jak half expected him to speak but he didn't. He walked away still laughing in personal humour. Jak, on the other hand, didn't find the situation that funny at all. He took the time to study his surroundings more closely, something he'd been conditioned to do from a young age. The floor was very smooth, oddly so, with the exception of two square depressions in front of the giant stone door. On closer inspection Jak could see that they were two pressure switches. It didn't take much to figure out what they were for. Jak looked to the big door again still vaguely distracted by Erol's chuckling. So the puzzle to open it was easy enough, but to get Erol to co-operate was a completely different matter.

Jak wondered away from the door still hoping on the possibility of another exit. After confirming all the walls were sealed with no cracks he looked upward. The large round tunnel he'd fallen down stretched further than he could see. He had been plummeting down it at top speed for minutes before reaching the bottom. If he were to try and climb back up it would take him days. With no food and water this would be an impossible task. Not only that but no light shone above so he found it likely that the top had sealed during the calamity…. Whatever that had been. He was once again faced with the only possibility of getting out of the place, the large door. He took special notice to the pictures deeply carved into the stone. They ran in a line along the top of the door, each one given a separate panel divided by a thick square frame than jutted out from the rest of the stone. He counted fifteen separate panels. Among the many small symbols in each of them he could only recognise a few. There was what looked like a target in the first panel and an odd creature-like design and waves in a few along. One near the centre of the design looked like a small maze and one nearer the end held a symbol of two hands apparently clasping each other. He looked at the panels a bit longer, his curiosity peaked, and reached up to run his finger along the designs. Perhaps they foretold what lay beyond…

The sound of scraping metal pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to look behind him. He cocked and eyebrow as he watched the yellow clad racer mount his zoomer and point it at the big door. Only second later he realised what the man was doing and abruptly stepped in front of the vehicle to prevent Erol from doing anything stupid, obviously not out of concern for the man but he knew he'd die down there alone without him.

"You really think that will stop me?" Erol chuckled. "It just makes it all the more tempting…." He revved his Air Racer to show he wasn't bluffing. Jak leaned forward and slammed his fists down on the bonnet of the vehicle.

"I don't like this just as much as you do!" Erol was unfazed by his anger. ""But if it's the only way out of here then I'll deal with it. I have _got _to get back." He took his hands of Erol's zoomer who had lifted his feet away from the pedals while Jak had spoken. Jak crossed his arms before he continued. "No doubt you have important 'duties' to take care of too," he spoke sarcastically and lent Erol a brief gesture with one hand. Jak watched Erol eye him up while he pondered on his words. He finally, to Jak's relief, dismounted his zoomer and walked past Jak pushing him aside aggressively.

"Fine. But if you get in my way I won't let you die with mercy." He approached the two switches with Jak not far behind him. They both stood in front of a switch, Erol on the left and Jak the right, and with a shared angry but docile glance they stepped forward in unison.

A loud creak made them both jump after so long in the quiet room. Sure enough the door ahead of them began to rise from the floor slowly revealing what lay beyond.


	3. Target Practice

**If you're confused after reading this chapter, then good because you're supposed to be. All will be revealed soon enough.**

The Winner's Circle

Chapter 3

Target Practice

A bright white light swept from beneath over-illuminating their surroundings. They both covered their eyes attempting to peer through their fingers in impatience at what waited in store for them. Jak was the first to lower his hand. His brow furrowed in confusion at what he saw. A narrow but very long tunnel shaped room stretched out before him. The walls held bulges of metal cases and mechanisms. Large horizontal panel lights embedded into the metal produced the bright white light. Other thin red girders held everything together. Jak walked behind Erol to where the floor cut off and dropped down into the mangle of mechanics below, a drop that would most likely kill. Ahead a pathway was clearly indicated. A walkway at the same level as the floor ran along the centre of the tunnel, divided now and then by two poles connected by blue bolts of high voltage electricity.

Jak could see no obvious way of turning them off. He looked away from the path at a high glass passageway attached to the left wall that was easily missed. It was completely sealed off with the exception of a nearby opening to enter it by. Through a glass panel in the side of the tube he could see a break in the path and a platform held against the wall. The tube followed the walkway to the end of the room a while ahead. On it's outside small levers flickered with a red light. He understood how it worked.

Jak turned to Erol, not willing to stand and stare at the puzzle all day. "So do you want to take the easy or the hard path?" Erol effortlessly leapt onto the lower walkway and drew his gun. Jak smirked and turned away. "I thought so." He could feel Erol's stare boring into his back as he made a high jump to grab the glass tube and pull himself up; a jump he doubted Erol would be able to make.

A low buzz filled his ears instantly. He put a hand to the thick rounded glass wall. It vibrated lightly against his fingers likely because of the machines that made up the walls. As soon as he reached the first gap in the floor Erol shot the lever dropping it for him. He ran across it quickly and it lifted up again behind him seconds later. Jak was glad that Erol was competent enough not to need his guidance. It meant he only had to concentrate on the path ahead of him and not the fact that he was forced to rely on his rival for help.

After a few more panels Jak came across a lever that pulled him from his own little world. With no other choice he looked down at the path below. Erol was looking up at him impatiently in front of the first electric barrier. He made a gesture as if to usher him to hurry up. Jak could see on Erol's face his eagerness to hurry and get this all out of the way as quickly as possible. However, Jak had an idea it wasn't going to be that simple. Throughout his adventure in Haven city his patience and temper had been tried to their limits but he wasn't sure he'd get through this one still sane of mind. Erol obviously didn't have to worry about that.

He turned around and hit the lever behind him. Sure enough when he glanced down the electric gate had shut down. Erol turned and continued without giving even a gesture of thanks. Jak wouldn't have been looking to see it if he had.

If Jak had found running over platforms and hitting levers difficult to comprehend then he would never have found a way out of prison let alone infiltrate the Baron's palace. He found this 'puzzle' quite monotonous in how simple it was though he knew it would be impossible to get past if he hadn't got Erol to shoot the platforms down for him. He tried not to dwell on this though. Now was not a good time to feel dark eco bubbling in his veins.

Erol pulled one last lever at the end of his path. The door sealing the end of the glass tube opened and Jak dropped down back onto floor level ducking as soon as he hit the ground as a bullet whizzed above his head. He rose slowly and glared at the man opposite him. "Sorry, I missed," Erol laughed sarcastically and shot down the final platform that joined he and Jak's paths. Jak warily walked across and rejoined Erol trying to ignore the intentional humoured smirk on his face. They approached the next door, purposely walking with two metres space between them. Two levers glowed red either side of it and, without even looking at each other, they pulled them both in unison. The door opened vertically after a brief clicking of old mechanisms. When it had slid high enough to see past they examined the room beyond suspiciously.

It was small, smaller than the cavern they'd started in. Jak imagined it would be dark if it wasn't for the light coming from the first room. The walls were black and very similar to the tunnel they'd fallen down except with no source of light. The opposite wall held the door, small in comparison to the previous two, and next to it was a tall machine with a large green monitor flashing different symbols and patterns. Erol was the first to enter. With a bored frown his eyes slowly examined the computer like device next to the door. He ran his fingers over the many buttons under the monitor as Jak entered carefully behind him.

Both men jumped when the door slammed heavily behind them drowning them in an impenetrable darkness. Jak staggered backwards, unsure of the situation and span around, pointing his gun, when he bumped into something. "Watch it, freak!" He heard Erol's voice spit in his direction. Jak lowered his gun able to make out Erol's silhouette against the blinking of red and blue buttons and the dim green glow of the monitor behind him.

"Sorry," Jak spoke quickly not realising that he'd genuinely apologised to the man he hated so much. It was easier to talk to him when Jak couldn't see his face. He heard Erol release a ragged breath. Jak turned his head raising an eyebrow. "What? Afraid of the dark?" Erol hissed angrily.

"Don't mock me, boy." After a few moments silence Erol spoke again as Jak used the aiming laser on his gun to examine the room cautiously. "I'll try to hack into the door system. Just stay out of my way." Jak turned his head slightly to acknowledge Erol's harsh orders.

"You can hack into the system?" Jak asked still vigilant of his surroundings. He wasn't convinced that it would be that easy. He also couldn't help but feel they'd both made a mistake somewhere along the line.

"Of course I can!" Jak didn't reply to allow the other to concentrate. Other than the quiet tapping of buttons as Erol got to work at the door the room was silent. Jak found himself subconsciously edging closer and closer to Erol until they were almost back to back. The racer was too distracted to notice Jak bump into him lightly for a second time. Jak stepped forward quickly and cocked his head at a distant noise. It was a familiar sound that he couldn't quite decipher. He knew it wasn't good news by the cold sweat that crept up his skin. Then it came again but louder.

"What was that?" Erol spoke quickly turning away from the monitor to listen. Jak felt the air heat up as both of their breathing increased rapidly.

"I'll deal with it. You concentrate on the door," Jak said distantly nudging Erol back towards the computer with his words. After a moments eerie silence the tapping of buttons ensued once more. A loud rumble shook the room. Jak lifted his arms instinctively as he was blasted with a wall of cold air and dust. He lowered his gun slowly aware that he and Erol where no longer alone in the room. Rasping breaths mingled with theirs and where the wall to the left of the door used to be Jak could see glowing yellow lights, like gems, swaying in the darkness.

Then they charged forwards.

"Metalheads?" Jak was quick to react shooting his scatter gun twice in quick succession knocking the creatures backwards. He spoke to Erol over his shoulder as more of them began to stream into the room. "Concentrate on the door!" he shouted urgently but Erol ignored him and continued shooting past him at the creatures. Jak grabbed his shoulder and turned him back to the computer. Erol shrugged his hand away about to snap back at him. "Get the door open, now! I've got your back." He shot twice more killing the front line of Metalheads and throwing the others backwards. Erol wasn't stupid and knew that Jak was right. He also had the better gun out of the two of them. He worked at the door more swiftly than he had before dismissing the idea of stealing Jak's gun and leaving him to the Metalheads. He hated being forced to trust Jak with anything, especially with his life and he didn't wholly believe that Jak would last very long. The faster he got the door open the better.

Jak stood squarely between Erol and the oncoming army. He was never any good at preserving ammo. When he killed something he liked to make sure it was dead. The throngs of Metalheads were easily held at bay by his scatter gun but sooner than he would have liked he ran out of ammunition. He quickly switched to his blaster taking out those in the close vicinity with a burst of rapid shots before taking closer aim at the ones further away making sure they didn't slip past his defences. Their time was running out with every bullet he fired and when he'd used up half of his yellow canisters he felt an uncomfortable feeling creep up the back of his throat. "Hurry up," he spoke levelly and Erol merely grunted in response not hurrying up at all.

Jak knew he was facing Grunts. They were difficult to kill and only relied on close combat, but soon other sorts of Metalheads began to come into view. Purple energy bullets ricocheted off the walls around him as he rolled out of the way cursing under his breath. He saw a couple of red bullets knock back a Rapid Gunner as Erol was forced to dodge too. "Maybe I'd be better shooting these bastards down while you fiddle around with the door," Erol sneered in accusation. "Or maybe I'd be better doing _both.__"_Jak knew this wasn't the time to get angry but Erol never failed to rile him.

"You can take the piss later," Jak said through gritted teeth pulling out his peacemaker and charging it up while Erol shot the Rapid Gunners back with one hand and continued mashing buttons with his other glancing between the two tasks to take aim. Jak fired down the passageway wiping out all the creatures in a burst of blue light. Jak pondered whether it would be quicker to follow the passage up to where they were all coming from and leave Erol behind to the Metalheads however he dismissed the idea not wanting to test his remaining ammunition against the length of the tunnel. He threw his last empty canister away and switcheg to the Vulcan Fury. When he addressed Erol he couldn't hide the panic lacing his voice. "How much longer?"

"Don't rush me!" Erol replied, his voice betraying the pressure he was under. His eyes flicked between the screen and the buttons as he picked up speed.

"How god damn long?" Jak shouted impatiently over the clatter of high velocity bullets.

"I don't know!" His fingers moved over the buttons almost faster then his eyes did.

Jak's bullets drained quickly. He clipped on the last magazine and drained it in seconds against the relentless hoards. He knew this wasn't right, maybe if he'd never followed Erol into the room the door wouldn't have closed. Jak charged up the peacemaker, the only gun he had ammunition left for, dodging away from stray bullets trying to direct attention away from Erol. The ball of energy cleared the tunnel allowing him a ceasefire to charge up for the next round. It was an relentless battle soon to come to an end.

"Not long now." It was the first time Jak was ever grateful of hearing Erol's voice, but he heard it too late. He fired the last barrel of his peacemaker and lowered the useless weapon. For a moment the room was quiet, no gunfire, no monstrous grunting but soon enough more yellow gems appeared in the distance. Jak rolled aside as more shots were fired at him. "I knew you'd be nothing but a hindrance." Erol spoke behind him. Jak turned to him not sure what to make of his casual tone. He stepped forward and kicked a Grunt brutally in the head. It's neck crunched and it squealed wheeling back until he shot it dead. "I told Praxis that _I _would take the Metalhead Leader." He shot more of the Metalheads back while Jak listened curiously. "I'd surely do a better job than _you. _What can you do, boy? You're nothing but a pathetic excuse for a hero. Praxis was wasting his time with you." Jak's face contorted in anger, his fists clenched so tightly that his arms started shaking. Erol could very well see the effect of his words, but that only spurred him on. "You will see his plans for the city soon enough. You won't be the only eco freak walking the streets! He has so many 'candidates' lined up. I even heard him talking about… Kiera." He laughed kicking another Metalhead out of the way.

Jak's breathing became more harsh, almost inhuman, and flecks of dark eco zapped from his skin. He looked at Erol's face and the memories it riled in his mind. Those two years in prison seeing that face laughing at him next to the Baron's. He couldn't stand it. He just wanted to rip it to pieces. Dark Jak lashed forward but Erol dodged out of his way moving quickly behind him and to the computer. Despite the danger he was in he couldn't hide the smirk on his face. There was nothing he found more entertaining than angering the boy.

Jak approached Erol, his clawed finger's quivering in anticipation. He'd waited so long to tear this man apart and here he was, so vulnerable, stood in front of him. A pain in his back distracted him. He turned around as he was shot again. The scourge of creatures had built up lashing out and shooting at him. He growled audibly and lashed forward knocking the masses back and severing limbs.

An almost inaudible click of gears confirmed Erol's input as valid. He stepped back from the machine and grinned arrogantly as the red flashing light at the centre of the door turned green. The door split horizontally and the two sides slid into the wall. Erol wasted no time looking into the room behind it yet, he turned to the massacre and a small smile played with his lip at the sight. Dark Jak was making light work of any Metalheads that dared enter the room, ripping them to shreds with his black claws. But even Dark Jak couldn't fight on for too long. With no other option Erol drew his gun shooting the stray Metalheads back as he approached the demon.


	4. No Breaks, No Mistakes

**My advice would be to just go with the flow and don't look too much into where things are going so far. I will explain everything, properly, but it won't be for a while. **

The Winner's Circle

Chapter Four

No Breaks, No Mistakes

The moment his fingers touched Dark Jak's skin the monster turned on him. Erol grabbed his wrist and parried his clawed arm with his own. He dragged the boy towards the door making sure to kick his discarded morph gun through it first. He felt a stinging pain in his forearm as sharp nails sunk in. "Let me go," a low and tainted voice growled at him. Erol did not comply until they had both made it through the door into the next room. The moment his fingers loosened Jak pulled away and rounded on him. Erol heard the doors slide shut behind them and the roars of blood deprived Metalheads suddenly seemed very distant. Dark Jak's breaths were rugged and Erol knew that Jak had slowly started taking back control. Enough to regain his better judgement and not rip Erol apart right then and there.

"I was lying," Erol stated blankly and passed Jak as his form shrank and he held his head groggily, finally back in full control.

"Why would you lie about something like that?" Jak snarled. He'd regained control but he still felt that he could lose it again at any moment. Erol approached Jak's gun and kicked it into his hands from the floor. Jak's arms caught it in reflex when Erol threw it in his direction.

"Why not? It got me here alive." Jak considered this and opened his mouth before realising that he didn't know what to say. Jak could and had argued with Erol's methods but he had got them both out of that room alive. He was grateful of that but not enough to thank the man. A metal locker caught both of their attention. Erol reached forward to open it. A dripping sound attracted Jak's eyes as blood began to seep through Erol's ripped sleeve and drop to the ground. He felt far from guilty looking at the wound. He was more satisfied than anything. Even so, two years of torture couldn't be balanced by such a small injury.

Inside the locker were shelves of varying ammunition and a couple of health packs. Erol stepped aside and leaned against the wall as Jak took advantage of the ammo and stocked up. There wasn't enough to fully load all his guns but enough to save his ass if he had to endure another attack. He just needed to be less careless from now on. When he'd finished with that he picked up a health pack and looked at Erol. The injury was small but if it wasn't looked after it could soon cause problems. Problems that would affect their progress. Jak didn't know how long the passage was but he could already feel an uncomfortable churning in his stomach. He hadn't eaten in a long while and the day's ordeals had drained his energy very quickly. He also knew that one cause of his shortness of breath in the earlier room had been the quickly thinning air. He doubted the two of them would be able to stay in a single room too long before they suffocated to death.

He threw the health pack in front of Erol's feet wordlessly. Erol's eyebrows rose in shock for a moment but he quickly regained his cold demeanour. "You should be more 'concerned' with yourself." Jak wasn't sure what he meant for a moment until the numbness the dark eco produced began to wear off. He hadn't realised that he'd taken quite a lot of damage, often the disadvantage of handing his body over to his inner demon. They both dressed their wounds in silence at opposite ends of the room.

Jak was securing the last bandage in place when he began to feel conscious of his breathing. The room he was in was small after all, no doubt the oxygen was already dropping below a comfortable level. Erol was stood intolerantly tapping his foot against the opposite wall seemingly oblivious to the thinning air, but Jak thought it likely that it was just a front. Erol glanced up and caught Jak's eye. Unfolding his arms he approached the door that would most likely lead them to the next room.

"You took your time," was all he said, confirming Jak's suspicion that he was all too aware of the air sharing problem. "Let's hurry up and get this over with." The metal door was opened by two pressure plates two metres apart activated simultaneously, similar to the entrance. They stepped onto the switches and the door slid sideways allowing them access to the fourth room.

Jak immediately saw a problem when he looked around. There were two clear paths separated by a thick glass barrier, the widest one being on the right. It was a half pipe half full of dark eco sporting a variety of obstacles he knew even he would have trouble overcoming. To the left was a path a third of the size. It started the same height as the top of the half pipe. Jak was sure that, even with a boost from him, Erol wouldn't be able to reach it but he also couldn't get across the half pipe. It seemed that only Jak could go both ways. Jak turned to Erol who was still looking ahead with an unreadable expression. "So what do you suggest now?"

Erol turned to him blankly. "Isn't it obvious?" He walked over to Jak and stepped behind him, a habit of his that Jak wasn't too fond of. He grabbed the jet board off it's harness. Jak wheeled around instantly.

"You can't be serious. You don't know how to ride it." Erol's lip turned up into a smirk.

"That's where you're wrong. Me and Kiera are closer than you think…" his cold smile intensified at the angry scowl his words brought to Jak's face. "I was privileged enough to test it out in the stadium challenge. Who do you think set the gold record?"

The news wasn't all that implausible and yet Jak felt somehow taken aback. He and Daxter had no end of fun cruising through the city on it knocking down Krimzon Guards, but to imagine Erol enjoying the same sort of thing was… strange. He knew Erol was an excellent racer but the daunting maze of lasers, grind rails and jumps ahead was enough to make him doubt his skills. Perhaps Erol's methods were too suicidal for his own good. Nonetheless, he was all too aware that there was no other option.

Unlike the first room Jak couldn't see any of the obstacles that lay in wait on his designated path. This was problematic in calculating how fast he needed to progress to keep up with Erol. He took a high jump grabbing onto the ledge and pulling himself up. He had a feeling that this was going to be a straight run; no breaks, no mistakes. He could only concentrate on his task and hope Erol was capable enough on the jet board to keep up. He turned to Erol who looked like he was actually eager to get started. At least one of them was. Jak had never been sure whether Erol had liked racing for the conceited adoration of the crowds or the opportunity to legally blow people up but as he looked down at him now he realised that he had nothing like that to spur him on, just the prospect of being able to use the board in the challenge set ahead of him. Maybe he actually enjoyed racing just for the sport and all the other things were an added bonus. Jak didn't fully understand why he was so curious. Unfair play was a big part of Air Racing after all as was the overzealous cheering of the crowd. He wouldn't deny that he liked the attention. On the other hand Erol took attention loving to a whole knew level, as well as other things.

"Ready?" he asked. Erol turned forward in response and leapt on the board jumping forward into the half pipe. The jet board skimmed the thick black liquid dangerously as he veered up the side of the pipe to avoid a semi-circular metal barrier. He grabbed the top of it firmly with a gloved hand, taking the board in his other, and guided his body safely over the top. It creaked under his weight but held steady. He looked at the hectic path ahead not wasting any time jumping over a second barrier. A few more of them lay close together before the lasers started. He passed each at opposite sides of the pipe approaching in a zigzag pattern to pick up more speed. He lowered himself on the board and flipped forward over the first set of lasers, the blue beams passing uncomfortably close to his face. The moment he landed he launched again into a boost jump over the second set. Before the third row he spotted something to his left. A red switch flickered against the wall. Erol immediately knew what it was for. He swerved towards it and, crouching down, balanced precariously to reach out and press it. He hadn't time to check what it activated before he was ducking under the next set of lasers. Then his stomach sank. An impenetrable wall of vertical beams buzzed in front of him. He twisted his body sharply in an attempt to veer out of the way but he'd made the turn too late. He turned his head away as suddenly a loud click sounded and the light vanished around him. He brought the board to a halt and finally looked up to the glass panel above. Jak was looking down at him with wide eyes and a green lever in hand. Erol turned the board and faced the perilous course ahead of him. He allowed an adrenaline induced grin to spread across his face. This was going to be fun.

Jak had planned to run at breakneck speed to make sure Erol didn't overtake but as he ran he found himself glancing down at Erol's progress realising he'd gone too far ahead and having to slow down only to see that when he looked back again he was lagging behind. His plan of following his path while Erol stuck to his was quickly broken up as he realised that they were both very dependant on each others progress, much more so than in the first room. Soon, instead of concentrating on his path and glancing at Erol's he found himself watching Erol passing only fleeting looks at his path now and then to make sure he didn't miss anything. In his forced observation he and Erol's paths were no longer separated by the glass wall. They became intertwined. He made a long jump over a large gap, looking back at Erol at his next opportunity and pulled a lever dropping a pipe for him to grind along. Sparks flew as the jet board slid along the metal underneath it's expert rider. He could see Erol reaching towards a panel above his head and three platforms dropped into place in the path in front of Jak. He ran swiftly over them before they lifted pulling up beside the racer once more and subconsciously pulling another lever to shut off a row of lasers. Jak followed the man religiously with his eyes, his own path almost unimportant.

Erol, on the other hand, didn't focus on Jak at all. He had his full concentration on the obstacles before him not able to take his eyes away in fear of missing something. Any mistake on his or Jak's half would result in his death. Another girder dropped down to his left and he made a forward flip in it's direction only just catching it before flicking three more blinking switches above his head. A static row of lasers ahead of him slowly began to rotate. He waited for the right moment before making the jump to the next grind rail. He didn't bother looking ahead to try and plan what to do next as things were changing all the time. A moving platform ahead that he'd seen came to a stop precisely in front of the next grind rail. Everything happened so quickly his body was almost acting on it's own leaving his mind on problems he'd already passes. The rail led him away from the open abyss below and back onto the eco filled half pipe; both as lethal as each other if he were to make a mistake. He jumped over a break in the pipe followed by a boost jump. At the last moment he took the board from under his feet for a bit of extra height. Running along the high flat platform he rolled under a low ceiling beam, released a heavy breath and jumped back on the board at the end to rejoin the half pipe below.

Two large panels ahead of him caught his attention as he skipped past another wall of lasers and ducked under a pipe. He hadn't seen anything like it before and, he could swear, beyond it he saw the exit. A new wave of motivation swept through him. He was starting to feel very heavy which he knew was never a good thing. As he neared the end he could view the panels more closely. They were both wedged horizontally, one on the ceiling and the other the floor. He squinted suddenly very interested. They almost looked as though they would slot together… and then they began to close. He hadn't noticed at first but when he looked away to avoid another hurdle and looked back again there was no denying it.

Jak cursed audibly and slammed his fist against the glass. He should have known there'd be some sort of trick amongst all of the levers, something to test his concentration, and he'd found it or rather not found it in time. He watched Erol as he approached the large closing gate. He still had a lot of things in the way to slow him down. Jak desperately tried to judge whether he would make it or not but it was impossible. He could only wait and see.

Erol turned carelessly around the last obstacle. That was it! It was a free sprint to the exit. His chest tightened at how close the two door panels were now. Five seconds and it would all be over and at his current speed he knew he wouldn't make it. Instinctively he thought to blame Jak but accusing wouldn't save his life. He jumped up and span the board below him picking up momentum and landed again. He shot forward on the speed boost and leapt towards the gap in the door with barely half a metre to go. A sharp pain shot down his back as he hit the floor on the other side hard and rolled forward stopping awkwardly on his knees. A loud metallic creak behind rocked the floor as the heavy iron door shut. He opened his eyes and released a shaky breath flinching when the jet board clattered along the floor beside him. Moments passed before his brain finally began to realise that he wasn't in danger anymore. He rose carefully to his feet and looked behind him. The door blocked his achievement from sight but that didn't stop it coursing angrily around his veins demanding attention. He kicked the door and laughed solidly. He'd got through it alive and he felt bloody great.

Erol pulled the lever to open Jak's passage up. He dropped down and smiled at the man's achievement. "Good work," he congratulated. "I could have done better though." He wasn't sure if that was the truth or not but he wouldn't let Erol know that.

"It wouldn't have been such a close call if you'd been more careful," Erol accused. Jak wasn't surprised by the accusation. He knew that Erol would jump on and chance to corner him but the truth was that he'd done the best he could and they were both alive as a result of that.

"I did well enough," he dismissed not wanting to start an argument.

"Would you say that if it were _your _life you'd put in jeopardy?" Jak had never been sure if Erol valued his life very highly. Maybe it was the prospect of losing his life because of Jak's mistake that angered him so much.

"Probably." Jak took hold of the lever next to the door and ignored Erol's deadly stare. He grabbed his lever nonetheless and they opened the door to the next room. Jak hoped that they wouldn't have to work so closely in the next room because he was starting to think that the satisfaction of killing Erol would be worth his own life.

**All I can say is: I have never beaten the gold jetboard challenge and likely never will. End of.**


End file.
